A/N: Thanks for reading, guys and gals! Also, thank you to those of you who have recently favorited and followed either me or my stories. It's super flattering and means a lot! ;)

At last, there was a take two for spending the night at the Levesque home.

Stephanie and Renesa left the Nassau Coliseum as a pair, headed to Weston to turn in for the night. Paul was preparing to be whisked away on business, so he had offered to walk the women out to their car. Their sectioned off area of the parking lot sat mostly still under the dim lighting system, since they were leaving a little later than most of the performers. Paul and Stephanie had gotten caught up in each other after the show and had lost track of time while saying goodbye behind closed doors.

Luckily for Renesa, she had brought a magazine in her bag for entertainment, so after saying her goodbyes to Seth for the night, she had sat reading in a lone steel chair until Stephanie came up and tapped her on the shoulder. When they made it out to the rental, Paul helped load their bags into the backseat, which made their belongings more accessible than the trunk would have. Before climbing into the driver's seat, Renesa kissed Paul's cheek and gave him a parting hug. When her door was shut, Renesa started the car and distracted herself with tuning the radio while Paul and Stephanie kissed just beyond her line of sight.

Since working for the WWE, Renesa realized firsthand exactly how attached Paul and Stephanie were. She wondered what had kept her blind to it for all those years, because peering out the side window as they held each other close, her heart melted. Their noses touched as they gazed into the other's eyes, and Renesa made up her mind right then that she wanted that someday. She wanted to love someone that much and know that they loved her right back. With his right arm circling her waist, Paul used his left hand to stroke Stephanie's hair, whispering words that made her giggle softly.

Stephanie cupped his cheeks and reeled him in for another kiss, at which point Renesa turned away, feeling odd for spying on them. She hadn't intended to, so she went back to messing with the radio until the passenger door clicked open and Stephanie climbed in. Paul held onto the top of the car door and bent down, leaning inside and catching Renesa's eye. "Hey, drive carefully and stay safe. Take care of Steph for me, since I can't be there."

"I will," Renesa promised. "Bye, Paul. Have a safe trip."

"Thanks," he nodded, winking at her. He captured Stephanie's lips once more, eyes narrowing with desire when he finally pulled away. He stroked her cheek softly with his thumb. "I love you, babe. I'll see you soon."

"I know you will. I love you, too," she replied.

Paul stepped back and shut the door, folding his arms over his midsection as they drove away. Stephanie turned in her seat and blew him a kiss, and he returned it, not moving an inch until they had driven out of view. It had been Renesa's expectation that they would talk the whole way to the airport and during the flight to Connecticut. She hadn't imagined Stephanie would go completely silent, but she had, closing herself off and opting to sit alone and stare out the window for the duration of their nighttime trip.

When they met their driver at the airport and were brought to Stephanie's home, she made light conversation and tipped the man, Renesa waiting off to the side of the driveway for the trunk to be opened. With their bags out, they crept inside, but not without stopping to greet Bluto. Once they were inside and up the stairs, the first thing Stephanie did was pop her head into each of her daughters' rooms to check on them. Not wanting to intrude on Stephanie's privacy, Renesa crept into the room her sister shared with Paul and plopped down on the bed, kicking her shoes off in the process.

Knowing her actions wouldn't offend Stephanie, Renesa crept inside the walk-in closet, sorting through racks of apparel and finding a pair of yoga pants and a tank top she could borrow for sleeping. The floorboards creaked beneath the carpet a minute later, signaling Stephanie's arrival. With her sister having kept so mum that night, Renesa was uncertain exactly where Stephanie's head was at, and she was afraid to engage her for fear of saying the wrong thing. She made out some light shuffling as Stephanie removed her clothing.

Soon after, Stephanie entered the closet wearing only her bra and panties, serving up a strained smile and tugging down some loungewear she had kept folded on the top shelf for herself. Since Renesa was first to dress, she folded up the clothing she had shed and leaned up against the closet wall, staring Stephanie down. "Are you okay?"

Stephanie glanced at her with wide eyes. "Yeah, fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"It seems like ever since we left the arena, you've been...different, I guess."

"I just miss Paul. That's all."

"But you guys are apart a lot of the time. Aren't you used to it by now?" Renesa asked, cringing under the icy stare Stephanie shot her way. Biting her lip and staring down at her feet, she added, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound uncaring."

Stephanie's hand fell to rest on Renesa's wrist, and she rubbed at her skin with her thumb. "I know you didn't mean it that way. I'm just on edge because I can never seem to get alone time with Paul, so things are a little tough right now, but I'm not trying to take it out on you. I'm actually really glad you came to keep me company tonight. I don't know what I'd do if I had to be here alone."

"Well, you're never alone and, hey, if you want, I can get up with you in the morning and help get the girls ready."

"I'd love that. Actually," she grinned, "they would love that, too. My babies adore you."

"I adore them, too," she said, chuckling when her stomach let out a deep grumble. "Do you have anything good to eat downstairs?"

"I'm sure we do. We have a lot of prepared meals in to-go containers, because Paul and I never have time to cook. A chef comes in and makes food for us, and we freeze or refrigerate it until we're ready to eat. If you want, you can grab one of my dinners that have been put together, but make sure not to go near Paul's, because he's weird about his stuff."

"How do I know which ones are his?" Renesa asked.

"Here," Stephanie offered, tugging some sweats over her legs as she led Renesa along, "I'll go with you."

Renesa's appetite had awakened Stephanie's, and several minutes later, they marched back up the stairs with full meals in tow. Renesa had chosen chicken breast, red roasted potatoes with garlic butter, and diced carrots and peas. Stephanie had gone for sashimi on a bed of fresh butter lettuce. They climbed into bed and propped their pillows against the headboard as they sat up and ate, the television blaring on in the background. Renesa sneaked glances at Stephanie, wanting to make use of their time together.

"Steph?"

"Yeah?" she asked, chewing slowly as she focused in on a cooking program, a row of arrogant chefs trying to outdo each other in the kitchen. Renesa paused, having so many feelings to convey but not knowing exactly how to express them. She opened her mouth and closed it, keeping this process going long enough for Stephanie to turn away from the screen and frown at her. "Is everything okay? If you don't like this show, we can change the channel. I need to catch up on Veep anyway. I'm falling so far behind on this season."

"It's not that."

"Oh," she said, the grooves in her forehead digging themselves deeper. "Then, what?"

"I feel like you're a little sad tonight, which makes me sad for you, and I guess I just want us to talk about it instead of sweeping our feelings under the rug."

"I'm not sad."

"But you're being different, way more quiet than normal," Renesa noted. "Is it just because you miss Paul, or is it something else?"

Stephanie sighed and placed her wooden chopsticks down, lowering her food carton into her lap. She ran both hands over her face and pursed her lips, deep in thought for a moment. "It's Paul, mostly. I just...I keep thinking about the way we were back in the day, when we could always find time to run off with each other and get away. Granted, we hadn't had kids yet, and I would never wish my babies away, but sometimes I feel like it would be nice if I could grab Paul by the hand and we could sneak off somewhere, just the two of us."

"I would be willing to take care of the girls for a weekend so you guys can do whatever you want. They wouldn't even have to leave their house," she said. "I could come stay here with them."

"It's really sweet of you to offer that, but it's not as easy as I'd like for us to take a mini vacation. There's always work, and business meetings, and public appearances. It seems like our schedules are always opposite. Whenever I'm home, Paul is gone, and whenever he's home, I'm gone. The only time that we're really ever in the same place anymore is when we're at Raw together, which is why we're super kissy and huggy with each other when you see us. We just miss each other, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah. I'm so sorry," Renesa said, shifting sideways and snaking her arm around Stephanie's neck. She pulled her in for a hug. "I could tell you weren't yourself when Raw ended, but I didn't realize that it was because of that. I'll do anything I can to help, if it means you guys can get extra time to yourselves."

"I don't know. Things are awfully busy right now," Stephanie shrugged, pushing some hair away from her cheek. "I've started to just accept that I won't be around him a whole lot for what will probably be a long time. I'm sure as we get older, we'll start slowing down with work, or I think we will, anyways, but it's just our lives. We chose to do this, and these are some of the very real consequences of it. I shouldn't say it like that, like it's a bad thing, because it's not. I love my job and I've gained skills from working under Dad that would literally take me anywhere I wanted to go in life. Work is one of my greatest blessings, but I'm beginning to see it can be a bit of a curse, too."

"Oh," Renesa gulped. Stephanie patted her thigh over the covers.

"But thanks for checking on me. I'll be okay," she promised, nodding her head and forcing a smile. "It's just a rough night, but you're here with me, so I'm already feeling better. Want to watch my show?"

"Sure, let's do it," Renesa answered, her mind wandering miles away.

"Awesome. You've never seen Veep before, have you?"

"Nope."

"Let's give it a shot," Stephanie said, picking up the remote control. "I really think you'll like it."

Renesa piped up suddenly when Stephanie searched through her list of previously recorded shows to find the episode she needed. "One of these days, Steph, I'm going to do something really nice for you. You're always watching out for me and helping me, and I want to return the favor."

"You don't have to do anything. You've done enough just by being here for me to talk to."

"I know, but one of these days," she repeated, locking eyes with Stephanie, "I'll surprise you. You need a break, and I'm not talking about those two weeks off that you already took. You still worked from the office while you were off the shows, so that doesn't count. I'm talking about a real break, where you can silence your phone and get away for a while."

"My time will come."

"I know," Renesa agreed, already setting plans into motion inside her head. "It has to."

By Wednesday night, Renesa was all set to return to Providence, since Paul would be catching a red-eye home from NXT to be with Stephanie and his girls. Stephanie's mood had instantly lifted once she knew he was on his way, and as she prepared the house for his arrival, Renesa packed her bag up. She had enjoyed the last two days with her sister and nieces, and in truth, was already plotting a time to do it all over again. After a pleasant round of hugs and kisses from everyone — Bluto included — Renesa hopped into a limousine that Stephanie had called for her, but the airport could wait.

She wasn't ready to fly home just yet.

After reciting specific instructions to her driver regarding her destination, he closed the partition at her request, and Renesa picked up her phone, making a single call to the only man who could help her plans become a reality. She was driven right up to a massive gate and led around the arced driveway, stopping mere yards from the spacious front porch. To her relief, the front door was pulled open as she stepped out, and Vince came up on her side, kissing her forehead and going around to tip the driver. Renesa grabbed her bags before anyone else could, rolling them inside and waiting for Vince to follow.

When they were safely locked inside, she threw her arms around his waist. "Daddy, I need your help."

He beamed down at her, then pressed his right cheek into the crown of her head. "I gathered that from our chat earlier. You wouldn't give me any details, though, so I expect that you will now."

"Yeah."

"Come on, then, have a seat," Vince ordered, leading her into the den, just off to the side of the living room. Renesa sprawled across the leather sofa and Vince took a seat at the small desk near the far corner. Yawning and stretching her legs, Renesa rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, forgetting herself only until Vince cleared his throat and sent her a pointed glance. "So, what's this about, exactly?"

"It's Stephanie."

"Stephanie?" he frowned.

"I'm really worried about her, Dad. I stayed over at her place for the past two nights to keep her company while Paul was out of town, and she seemed, like, super depressed. I mean, she didn't say she was, but she also wasn't acting like her normal smiley and bubbly self."

Now she had Vince's attention. He clasped his hands in his lap and leaned forward, his nose wrinkling the tiniest bit as he swallowed thickly. "Did she say what was wrong?"

"She alluded to it."

"How so?"

"She was telling me that she never gets time with Paul anymore. She said before they had kids, they were together all the time, but now, she basically only gets to see him at Raw, or if they happen to have a scheduled appearance together, which isn't all that often. I think she's sad," Renesa admitted, lifting her left arm and draping it across her forehead. "The thing is, Stephanie does everything for everybody. No matter what kind of trouble we're in, she helps us and does everything she can to make our lives better. For once, I'd love to return the favor and do the same thing for her. She deserves it."

"So, what are you thinking?" Vince inquired.

"I'm thinking she and Paul get a week off. Like, a whole week off, where we send them somewhere nice and take care of everything back home for them so they don't have to worry. I'll go stay with the girls at Steph's place and watch over Bluto for her. We can get an experienced road agent to fill in for Paul at NXT since, I mean, it's only for one week. And we can find a cruise or a super relaxing destination spot and fly them there for the week. I really want to do this for them," Renesa said. "They've both always been so good to me."

"We can work out the other specifics as we go, but if you're wanting to send them somewhere, I need to have a general location so I can get my office assistance on it. Where should we send them?"

"I like the cruise idea, but knowing Steph, she won't go for it. She's not going to want to be that far away from the girls, so maybe we can keep them somewhere up here, like around the northeastern region," she said. "I was thinking, remember when you sent me and Mom to Watch Hill, Rhode Island one summer? It was that amazing coastal resort about an hour outside of Providence."

"I remember, yes. You and Annette couldn't stop raving about that place," Vince said, a smile washing over his face. Most of his contact with Renesa's mother over the years had been indirect, as he never wanted to upset Linda, but there were a few small exceptions, and that gift had been one of them. He raised his hands and rested them on the desktop. "You think Paul and Stephanie would enjoy it there?"

"Oh, I have no doubt they would. It's beautiful, and they don't even have to stay in the resort suites if they don't want to. When Mom and I went, we actually stayed off to ourselves in a cottage somewhere near the bluffs, and the view from the kitchen window was out of this world," Renesa grinned, staring at the ceiling as she recalled her time there. "I'd honestly love to go back again with Mom sometime, but right now, I know Steph and Paul need this, and I want us to do it for them. I can even contribute some money toward it."

"No need for that. I'll take care of it, honey." Vince reached for a pen from the holder on his desk and used the other hand to grab a sticky note. From there, he scrawled down the name of the place and picked up his phone, tapping along the edge of the screen. "I'm contacting my assistant so she can make the reservations, and we'll sit Paul and Stephanie down later to let them know what we've planned."

"Oh," Renesa uttered, pushing up to a seated position with her palms, "but I...I can't tell them, because I can't stay. The reason I have my stuff with me is because I was headed back home. I just stopped here to ask you about this, but I'm not spending the night. Can you let Steph know that I hope she has fun and actually gets to relax for once? And tell her not to worry about any of her work responsibilities, because I'm willing to pull double duty to make sure it all gets done."

Vince squinted from behind his glasses, tucking his chin down and sitting forward, the office chair creaking under his weight. "Don't be ridiculous, Renesa. You'll spend the night here, and we'll head over to their house tomorrow morning to tell them. Paul will be back and settled by then, so I'll call ahead and let him know we're coming over."

"Then I can go stay at Steph's for another night. She won't mind."

"You'll stay here," Vince insisted, his scowl deepening.

Renesa pressed her spine into the arm of the couch, frozen in fear as she mulled over whether to accept the offer or make a run for it. Vince wasn't faster than her, so even if he was tougher, she could simply outrun him. Then, she realized how crazy her thought process was and took a deep, calming breath. Pressing the heel of her palm to her right temple, she said, "I already told you I don't feel comfortable here. I don't want to be in the way."

"You're never in my way."

"It's not you I'm worried about, and you know that," she said. "We've had this discussion enough times that you know exactly what I'm getting at."

"This is my house and you're my daughter," Vince responded. "There isn't a single person in this world who I will allow to drive you away from me. I've worked hard for this home, and so has Linda, but we both get a say in who stays here, and you're always welcome here, in my book. That's all that matters."

"Can you at least let her know I'm here so she doesn't get shocked when she sees me? Last time when I called you on the intercom, she thought I was Stephanie, and I think it was the disappointment of her life when she came down and saw me instead."

"Don't be silly. You're fine here," he replied, raising on his feet.

Vince waved her up and placed his hand on the small of her back when she stood, leading her back to her bags at the foot of the stairs. He had tried to take both rolling suitcases, but Renesa wouldn't allow it, urging him to only take one while she grabbed the other. At the top of the stairs, they followed a sharp corner around, leading to a dim and long hallway of bedrooms. The walls were freshly polished and wooden, a row of wall lanterns enclosed in decorative sconces lighting the way.

The door to Vince's home office stood open, so he paused long enough to close it, liking his work to be private and untouched. A couple doors before they reached the bedroom he shared with Linda, Vince grabbed the doorknob and thrust it open, revealing a California King bed with an upholstered headboard. The sheets bore dainty roses on tilted stems, giving off the effect they were blowing in the wind. A wide chest sat at the foot of the bed, the same burnt brown shade as the headboard.

In the corner of the room, a work desk with a thin cylinder vase sat alone, a fresh daffodil peeking out. Renesa stepped inside and glanced around, plopping down hard on the mattress as she smiled. "Thank you, Daddy, for letting me stay."

"There's nothing to thank me for. My kids are always welcome here," Vince said. He pushed her second suitcase beside the first, leaving them at the side of the chestnut bureau and standing in the doorway as he watched her. "You know, Linda's out tonight and I could go for a bite to eat. You want to take a ride with me and grab something?"

"I'd love to," Renesa chirped, clapping her hands in front of her chest. Her joy was twofold: she would get quality time with her father and avoid Linda, all at once. Pushing herself up, she added, "Just let me use the bathroom real quick."

"I'll meet you downstairs," he nodded.

As she passed by, Renesa kissed his cheek. Her fingertips trailed the wall as she strode to the nearest bathroom and closed the door behind her, admiring the massive ceramic tub. She had pinned her hair up and taken bubble baths in that very tub before, and the simple sight of it was enough to convince her that she had to take another, after she and Vince returned home. Before doing her business, Renesa pulled her phone out of her back pocket and sent Stephanie a long overdue text message.

Thank you for the past two nights. I'm so happy you're my sister.

By the time Renesa exited the bathroom, her phone had chimed, and she wrangled it back out of her pocket, stopping at the top of the stairs to read. An instant smile washed over her face, warming her insides as she looked over the response once, then again for good measure.

Having you here comforted me more than you'll ever know. Love you, sister.